



Read by Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Jordan Peterson and 11 others
The novels and literary works that CEOs, creators, and visionaries name as the stories that changed how they see the world.
Curated by the world’s most influential readers & thinkers.
48 books in Fiction & Literature
43 books in Fiction & Literature
37 books in Fiction & Literature
36 books in Fiction & Literature
35 books in Fiction & Literature
34 books in Fiction & Literature
33 books in Fiction & Literature
A dystopian novel set in a totalitarian superstate where the Party exerts total control over its citizens through mass surveillance and the Thought Police. The story follows Winston Smith, a worker at the Ministry of Truth, as he attempts to maintain his individuality and search for truth amidst state-mandated propaganda. The work examines how the manipulation of language and historical records can be used as tools of political oppression.
14 independent endorsements
The Fellowship of the Ring / The Two Towers / The Return of the King
Set in a dystopian United States, the story follows railroad executive Dagny Taggart as she navigates a crumbling economy where the nation's most productive citizens are mysteriously disappearing. The novel explores the philosophical conflict between rational self-interest and collectivism through the search for a legendary figure named John Galt.
“These pieces have been, and will I think during my life continue to be, to me, the source of daily and exalted pleasure. The tender and the sublime emotions of the mind were never before so wrought up by the human hand. I am not ashamed to own that I think this rude bard of the North the greatest Poet that has ever existed.”

“Sipsworth is a love story about a woman and a mouse. Reason suggests that such a relationship couldn't possibly work, and yet I found myself pulling for this unlikely duo on every page. Simon Van Booy's characters are loaded with charm, resilience, and the deep desire for connection that all mammals share. I loved it.”

“Sorrow and Bliss is a brilliantly faceted and extremely funny book about depression that engulfed me in the way I'm always hoping to be engulfed by novels. While I was reading it, I was making a list of all the people I wanted to send it to, until I realized that I wanted to send it to everyone I know.”

“Buckeye is a glorious sweep of a novel, full of love and war and the perilous intimacies of smalltown life. It's funny and tender, realistic and strange. Patrick Ryan has long been one of my favorite writers. I have a feeling that with this book he's going to be everyone's favorite writer.”

“Setting aside the political football this book evokes, this book champions the entrepreneurial drive to invent products and run a great company. This includes rewarding employees who are responsible, who do not complain, who move to action and think for themselves as partners and equals.”

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